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Burden of Chronic Disease

• By Disease and Risk Factor
• By State



The Burden of Chronic Diseases and Their Risk Factors: National and State Perspectives 2002

Section II
The Burden of Heart Disease, Stroke, Cancer, and Diabetes, United States

  




Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, accounting for 10% of all cancer deaths. The risk of developing colorectal cancer increases with advancing age. Adults who are aged 50 or older, have inflammatory bowel disease, or have a personal or family history of colorectal polyps or colorectal cancer are at the highest risk. Additionally, lack of physical activity, low fruit and vegetable intake, a low-fiber diet, obesity, alcohol consumption, and tobacco use may contribute to the risk for colorectal cancer. Three screening tools—fecal occult blood test, flexible sigmoidoscopy, and colonoscopy—are used to detect colorectal cancer in its early stages, when treatment is most likely to be effective.

  • Colorectal cancer killed more than 57,200 Americans in 1999. 
  • In 1999, rates of death from colorectal cancer were 41% higher among men than women, and 40% higher among blacks than whites.
  • In 1999, 66% of Americans age 50 years or older reported not having had a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy within the last 5 years, and 79% reported not having had a fecal occult blood test within the last year.

Colorectal Cancer: 1999 Death Rate*

Colorectal Cancer: 1999 Death Rate. Data in tabular format follows.

*Deaths per 100,000, age adjusted to 2000 total U.S. population. ICD-10 codes: C18-C20, C26.0.

  



 

Adjusted Rates of Death Due to Colorectal Cancer,* by State Rank, 1999

Rank State Rate†
1 Maine 25.1
2 West Virginia 24.6
3 District of Columbia 24.5
4 Pennsylvania 24.2
5 Ohio 24.2
6 Delaware 24.0
7 Louisiana 24.0
8 New Hampshire 23.9
9 Rhode Island 23.8
10 New Jersey 23.6
11 Indiana 23.6
12 South Dakota 23.2
13 Illinois 23.1
14 Nevada 23.0
15 Vermont 23.0
16 Massachusetts 22.7
17 Nebraska 22.6
18 Maryland 22.6
19 New York 22.5
20 Kentucky 22.4
21 Arkansas 22.3
22 Missouri 22.2
23 Mississippi 22.0
24 South Carolina 21.9
25 Iowa 21.8
26 Virginia 21.4
27 Wisconsin 21.3
28 Connecticut 21.2
29 Michigan 21.2
30 Wyoming 21.1
31 Oklahoma 21.0
32 Kansas 20.8
33 Alaska 20.6
34 North Carolina 20.3
35 North Dakota 20.1
36 Tennessee 20.0
37 Texas 19.9
38 Florida 19.8
39 Oregon 19.7
40 Idaho 19.4
41 Alabama 19.2
42 Montana 19.2
43 Minnesota 19.0
44 Georgia 18.7
45 Washington 18.7
46 Arizona 18.3
47 Colorado 17.9
48 California 17.8
49 New Mexico 17.4
50 Utah 16.2
51 Hawaii 13.6
  United States 21.1

*ICD-10 codes: C18-C20, C26.0. 
† Deaths per 100,000, age adjusted to 2000 total U.S. population.

 

Deaths Due to Colorectal Cancer,* by Sex, 1999 

  Total Male Female
State Number Rate* Number Rate* Number Rate*
Alabama 849 19.2 397 22.1 452 17.0
Alaska 61 20.6 29 20.9 32 20.4
Arizona 871 18.3 469 22.3 402 15.0
Arkansas 623 22.3 298 26.1 325 19.5
California 5,133 17.8 2,592 20.9 2,541 15.4
Colorado 609 17.9 307 21.4 302 15.5
Connecticut 783 21.2 388 26.6 395 17.9
Delaware 180 24.0 96 31.0 84 19.1
District of Columbia 139 24.5 56 25.5 83 23.5
Florida 3,956 19.8 2,045 23.8 1,911 16.7
Georgia 1,183 18.7 589 23.0 594 15.8
Hawaii 169 13.6 88 15.3 81 12.1
Idaho 224 19.4 127 24.9 97 14.5
Illinois 2,760 23.1 1,358 28.4 1,402 19.5
Indiana 1,385 23.6 645 27.6 740 20.9
Iowa 739 21.8 389 28.5 350 16.9
Kansas 587 20.8 287 25.0 300 17.5
Kentucky 875 22.4 450 28.6 425 18.4
Louisiana 951 24.0 507 31.1 444 18.8
Maine 343 25.1 166 29.4 177 21.8
Maryland 1,066 22.6 514 26.4 552 19.6
Massachusetts 1,537 22.7 731 27.6 806 19.1
Michigan 2,040 21.2 1,012 25.5 1,028 18.0
Minnesota 904 19.0 429 22.3 475 16.9
Mississippi 579 22.0 279 26.5 300 18.7
Missouri 1,292 22.2 592 25.0 700 20.0
Montana 181 19.2 91 22.1 90 16.8
Nebraska 412 22.6 196 26.6 216 19.5
Nevada 368 23.0 220 29.5 148 17.5
New Hampshire 272 23.9 138 29.3 134 20.1
New Jersey 2,042 23.6 988 28.2 1,054 20.2
New Mexico 272 17.4 136 19.7 136 15.5
New York 4,296 22.5 2,045 26.5 2,251 19.7
North Carolina 1,515 20.3 743 24.6 772 17.2
North Dakota 148 20.1 67 21.9 81 19.0
Ohio 2,826 24.2 1,355 29.0 1,471 21.0
Oklahoma 739 21.0 353 24.8 386 18.5
Oregon 689 19.7 350 23.5 339 16.8
Pennsylvania 3,502 24.2 1,723 29.9 1,779 20.4
Rhode Island 280 23.8 125 27.9 155 21.4
South Carolina 807 21.9 415 27.1 392 18.0
South Dakota 194 23.2 89 25.9 105 20.6
Tennessee 1,083 20.0 509 23.3 574 17.7
Texas 3,278 19.9 1,667 24.1 1,611 16.8
Utah 242 16.2 123 19.1 119 14.1
Vermont 135 23.0 64 26.9 71 20.7
Virginia 1,318 21.4 641 25.3 677 18.6
Washington 997 18.7 508 22.0 489 15.9
West Virginia 520 24.6 267 32.0 253 20.1
Wisconsin 1,173 21.3 606 26.7 567 17.2
Wyoming 95 21.1 54 27.9 41 16.4
United States 57,222 21.1 28,313 25.3 28,909 18.0

*Deaths per 100,000, age adjusted to 2000 total U.S. population.

 


 

Deaths Due to Colorectal Cancer, by Race and Ethnicity, 1999

  White Black Asian/Pacific Islander American Indian/ Alaska Native Hispanic
State Number Rate* Number Rate* Number Rate* Number Rate* Number Rate*
Alabama 610 17.4 237 27.4 - - - - - -
Alaska 40 18.1 - - - - - - - -
Arizona 767 18.9 25 28.5 - - - - 63 12.8
Arkansas 519 21.2 97 31.6 - - - - - -
California 3,839 19.1 408 26.4 372 13.8 - - 508 11.3
Colorado 523 17.8 24 25.5 - - - - 48 14.9
Connecticut 731 21.7 40 22.1 - - - - - -
Delaware 145 22.7 32 35.7 - - - - - -
District of Columbia 32 18.3 104 27.9 - - - - - -
Florida 3,196 19.4 394 30.5 - - - - 349 16.9
Georgia 810 16.8 361 27.3 - - - - - -
Hawaii 43 12.9 - - 120 14.5 - - - -
Idaho 220 19.8 - - - - - - - -
Illinois 2,291 23.0 407 33.2 24 11.2 - - 38 7.2
Indiana 1,260 23.2 113 33.3 - - - - - -
Iowa 724 21.8 - - - - - - - -
Kansas 556 21.1 - - - - - - - -
Kentucky 798 21.8 65 29.9 - - - - - -
Louisiana 634 22.0 301 31.7 - - - - - -
Maine 341 25.2 - - - - - - - -
Maryland 768 21.1 280 31.3 - - - - - -
Massachusetts 1,440 22.6 62 35.2 - - - - 22 15.3
Michigan 1,736 20.7 279 27.2 - - - - - -
Minnesota 882 19.1 - - - - - - - -
Mississippi 372 19.5 203 28.8 - - - - - -
Missouri 1,126 21.2 150 35.1 - - - - - -
Montana 173 19.1 - - - - - - - -
Nebraska 397 22.9 - - - - - - - -
Nevada 310 23.4 23 28.9 - - - - - -
New Hampshire 272 24.3 - - - - - - - -
New Jersey 1,741 24.5 213 27.5 - - - - 68 11.0
New Mexico 161 16.0 - - - - - - 92 20.3
New York 3,431 22.9 582 28.5 79 13.6 - - 202 12.6
North Carolina 1,151 19.0 353 28.4 - - - - - -
North Dakota 146 20.3 - - - - - - - -
Ohio 2,539 24.1 273 28.3 - - - - - -
Oklahoma 629 20.5 62 37.5 - - 35 17.8 - -
Oregon 664 20.0 - - - - - - - -
Pennsylvania 3,179 24.0 297 31.8 - - - - - -
Rhode Island 270 24.3 - - - - - - - -
South Carolina 573 20.5 230 27.5 - - - - - -
South Dakota 191 23.6 - - - - - - - -
Tennessee 889 18.8 186 30.4 - - - - - -
Texas 2,327 20.0 498 33.1 23 9.6 - - 430 14.0
Utah 231 16.5 - - - - - - - -
Vermont 135 23.3 - - - - - - - -
Virginia 1,011 20.5 282 28.8 - - - - - -
Washington 922 18.9 - - 26 13.4 - - - -
West Virginia 502 24.7 - - - - - - - -
Wisconsin 1,128 21.4 32 21.5 - - - - - -
Wyoming 90 21.2 - - - - - - - -
United States 47,465 21.0 6,730 29.4 825 12.6 170 13.2 2,032 12.8

*Deaths per 100,000, age adjusted to 2000 total U.S. population. Dashes indicate too few deaths (20 or fewer) to calculate a stable estimate.

 

  



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This page last reviewed August 10, 2004

United States Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion